I remember when I was young and fit and still playing footy. I didn’t have the soft layer of protection around the muscles that I do now, and it wasn’t a big drama taking the shirt off in the sun when it was a bit hot.

These days taking the shirt off is just plain embarrassing, but worse, getting sunburnt is just no fun at all. Quite apart from the cancer risk, getting sunburn can wreck a fishing trip.

Since moving to Queensland I’ve discovered a shirt that feels comfortable, has a high sun protection factor and comes in a range of colours and patterns to suit all tastes in clothing: Go-So

Go-So sun shirts are constructed from Micro-Tex fabric. This micro-filament fabric has great softness and uses a double-sided, breathable mesh construction. Its moisture management treatment allows for rapid sweat evaporation, keeping you cool, dry and comfortable. All the fabrics used in GoSo shirt range have been rated at the maximum UPF50+.

My preferred top is the Long Sleeve Polo Shirt. It features adjustable sleeve tabs that give the option of full-length or elbow-length sleeves. The Sunwise Collar gives added protection to the back of the neck and the fine mesh underarm gussets allow for extra air movement throughout the shirt.

Sizes are available from XS to XXXL and I easily fit into the XL size, being 179cm tall and just on 90kg.

The polo shirts are the most comfortable fishing shirts I have ever worn. They don’t get hot, they dry quickly and they don’t have annoying pockets and tabs all over the place just waiting to snare a reel handle, butt cap or rod. It’s the total lack of adornments that make these shirts so good – they’re very user-friendly.

If I am in the tropics or having a long day casting for golden perch and cod in mid-summer, there is no shirt I would prefer to wear than a Go-So. I can’t remember a time when the shirt became so wet with sweat that it was annoying, as can happen with other shirts. Even when I’ve jumped in to cool down with the shirt on, the fabric doesn’t hold too much water when you get out. Therefore it’s not heavy, the breeze can flow through the shirt cooling you down and you can fish on in relative comfort.

Add to the lack of features the sun protection and it’s hard not to be impressed by the shirts.

Like everything on the market though, there is one problem. For me, and many other I fish with, the sleeves are just not long enough. This leaves your wrist exposed to the sun and I often forget to apply sunscreen here while I am doing the back of my hands. It’s not a big problem, but one that could be easily addressed in the manufacturing by adding a few centimetres to the arm length. In the meantime, you may find that sun gloves helpful in covering part of the exposed skin.

I am so impressed with the Go-So shirt, even given the short arm lengths, that I rarely go out in warmer weather wearing anything but. The shirts are available in many tackle stores across Australia and retail for around $60, and that’s a cheap price to pay for comfort and sunprotection. If you want more information on the Go-So range you can check out the range of Go-So products on their website at www.sunprotection.com.au.